Regenerative Leadership and the Way Forward in the 21st Century

The chaos that has been created due to human interactions over millions of years in ecosystems and social systems are leading towards the degeneration of nature and unprecedented disruptions into social systems. Diseases such as COVID-19 andnatural hazards that are never dreamed-offare now being witnessed in the contemporary world, and consequently in where the leadership matters the most. Therefore, the world is calling for Regenerative Leadershipto re-establish the balance with human interactions and nature.

TEDx video by Laura Storm on Regenerative Leadership called for the need for a new leadership style for the world that is about to collapse due to the ultimate interventions of humans\" actions into natural laws that govern nature.

Regenerative Leadership

Regenerative Leadership is identified as a modern leadership style that solves complicated problems in the modern-day world. CEOs and leaders in this constantly changing world have stressed-out complicated issues that are not capable of solving by using the knowledge passed onto them through leadership styles created many years ago. The complex issues that old-time experts observed to have existed many decades ago have become more complex over the years. 

Therefore, modern leaders should be realistic in understanding these issues. But not similar to times in history, complications are not more to be seen, and not more to be visible to realize for the practical mind. These complications are like hidden dots in a puzzle that needs another scale to realize what and where the complications are. In that case, it is where the Regenerative Leaderships make grounds.

The World calls for Regenerative Leadership

Regenerative Leadership has arrived at a time where the world has witnessed the repercussions over the culmination of the overused natural and social systems at the global level resulting in predicaments of alarming signals on collapsing the ecosystem. 

Further, human lives have been threatened with diseases like COVID-19 due to the disruptions the man has made on nature. Because of that Regenerative leadership style is inspired by pioneering thoughts within biomimicry, sociology, biophilia, adult development psychology, complexity theory,and anthropology.

Five Basic Principles of Regenerative Leadership

Regenerative Leadership is built-up with five basic principles as mentioned below.

1. Life-Affirming Principle

2. Ever-changing and Responsiveness Principle

3. Relational and Interconnected Principle

4. Diverse Principle

5. Cyclical and Seasonal Principle

Principle One: Life-Affirming Principle

The Life-Affirming principle is the first principle under Regenerative Leadership. It states that everything that life brings out is observed as an affirmation. The waste is an unavoidable substance of the production process.

 However, opinions that are given into them re-defines the word ‘waste’. Therefore, what is assumed is that regenerative leadership provides a re-definition of the concept of waste. It points out that the waste of production is not really a waste but another natural form of life that it can be re-used, re-cycled, or re-produced.

Recycling

Recycling and Up-cycling are additional stretches into the Life-Affirming Principle where the waste is further utilized for the fulfillment of human requirements. It understands the scarcity of resources and high costs to acquire them where it leads to maximum utilization for generating a profit and saving the Earth.

This principle would be valid and valued under a post-COVID-19 situation where the world would face an economic recession and seeks options to reduce cost and maximize productivity.

Modern Technology and Construction Industry

Regenerative Leadership provides insights into the modern construction industry where it emphasizes the use of natural resources to convert into energy. 

For instance, converting sunlight into the solar, seawater into the electricity, and wind power into the energy. Moreover, modern engineers have mastered the technology of purifying water through buildings and re-using water for human consumption.

Human Interactions

Life-Affirming Principle is also linked with employee relations. Employees are encouraged through the regenerative leadership to evolve with the changing world and to accept the change by growing themselves to more capacity. 

Failure is not considered to be an element to be fearful but is an opportunity to grow by learning through mistakes. Owing to this, responsive, challenging and more-alive employees have become more productive towards regenerative organizations.

Principle Two: Ever-changing and Responsiveness Principle

Regenerative Leadership has realized and accepted that the change is inevitable. Therefore, what organizations have to do is to follow strategies that make the change possible.

Hierarchies into no Hierarchies

With the evolution of the theories of organizations, the concept of hierarchy has become a permanent element in modern organizations. On the contrary, Regenerative Leadership has challenged the hierarchy system as it generates more suppression than responsiveness.

Because the system of hierarchy brings the authority to an upper level where employees become disengaged, fear-infused and discouraged, and employees tend to suppress their responsiveness by hiding the precious knowledge that wouldhave enriched companies to the next level.

According to Regenerative Leadership, the leader should be a facilitator, not a dictator. A leader should be a supporter, not acontroller. As a result, the Regenerative Leaders are more responsive and encourage/empower employees also to be more responsive. Therefore, through innovative ideas and innovative thinking, regenerative organizations are capable of successfullyconfronting challenges similar to COVID-19.

Principle Three: Relational and Interconnected Principle

The third principle of Regenerative Leadership discusses the interconnected-ness of relative factors. Accordingly, this principle is based on survival skills where humans survived thousands of years because of the relationships that they bonded with each other.

 It has ruled beyond the rule of the jungle which interpreted that the survival of the strongest. When this theory is analyzed and compared with different species in the world, it denotes that the ones who managed to maintain relationships have succeeded in protecting their species over the centuries.

When this theory is applied to the leadership theories under Regenerative Leadership, it is observed that stronger and interconnected relationships have provided the best opportunities for generating success stories.

Employees, promoters, and company leaders create good relationships with their customer base to harness more productive outcomes. At a time where the human race is challenged by COVID-19, nations should be interconnected through Regenerative Leadership to ensure the survival of the human race over the pandemic and to come through it.

Principle Four: Diverse Principle

The fourth principle of Regenerative Leadership is diversification. Organizations that have become successful in being diversified have progressed well during the past rather than the companies which accepted the opposite.

Diverse Workforce

Organizations that consist of a diverse workforce with different capabilities and different backgrounds have been successful in progressing in the world. 

Similar to people from different religious backgrounds, racial backgrounds, cultural differences, etc have contributed to the variety of idea generations, innovations, and constructive theories where it ends the conventional thinking and by allowing regenerating thinking.Further, a diverse workforce would be a solution for finding a cure for COVID-19 where all nations are contributing to the development of a vaccine.

Tension, Chaos, and Progress

Unconventional minds generated through regenerative behaviours bring chaos and tensions into the workplace in the short-term due to their different ways of thinking and different approaches for solving issues that are not accustomed to conventional minds. However, the success factor has arisen when these two un-parallel ideas are linked and balanced together.

Principle Five: Cyclical and Seasonal Principle

Cyclical 

The human understanding of the cyclical nature of the planet and the cyclical nature of the beings is a calling for a sustainable future with the infusion of the regenerative leadership. A close look into nature would enlighten us with the idea that most of the natural processes are cyclical similar to day and night, four seasons of the year, etc. 

Breaks and Reflections

It’s true that human beings do harvest and reap the fruits from nature for the existence of human beings or more than towards the growth the human development. In the process of this constant development, it is a must that people should break from the loop and have reflections of the journey rather than keep pushing towards the ultimatum. 

It’s where the modern companies have to reflect their current productions by allowing consumers to respond and to revise products and productionprocesses rather than restricting to the existing practices.

COVID-19

COVID-19 threatening the human race of all nations was created due to the over-consumption patterns of likable nations as they failed to realize that their journey ahead was needed to be reflected and rectified (The Daily Whisk, 2020). 

Hence, Regenerative Leadership raises concerns to choose the right (not wrong), and good (not bad) by leading the way through positive affirmations. 

How do we wide-spread Regenerative Leadership?

People do not have to wait and see until big organizations accept the principles of Regenerative Leadership. However, the world is asking from locals and individuals for collective participation and acceptance of the basics of the Regenerations where it would raise the significance through affirmations on bio-cultural uniqueness and ecosystem developments through carefully designed projects.

Conclusion

Regenerative Leadership is a broad concept that addresses wide areas of human interaction with natural laws, human relationships, business relations, survival instincts, and social interactions. Therefore, it reveals that Regenerative Leadership raises concerns over individual and collective contribution towards the ecosystems and our communities. 

This concept goes beyond sustainability as it links with a more positive outlook, incremental changes, and deeper transformation along with nature. In fact, the human presence on the face of the Earth is questioned by regenerative leaders calling for the needs of re-patterning the future and re-designing our eco-systems. It’s in this era that people should realize the requirement for the acceptance of affirmation on natural laws, responsive changes with evolving nature, interconnectivity, diversification, and cyclical patterns in harmony with the nature around us.

Tomorrow’s success stories would be generated by Regenerative Organisations because the Regenerative Leadership style has the inspiration to provide wisdom for modern leaders to be successful in the 21st century. Further, Regenerative Leaders are needed in the modern world to overcome the challenges that are created due to COVID-19 and other similar diseases.

How do you respond to complex issues through Regenerative Leadership?

 

References

Hardman, G., 2009. Regenerative Leadership: An Integral Theory for Transforming People and Organizations for Sustainability in Business, Education, and Community. Florida Atlantic University, p. 5.

Storm, L., 2019. The world calls for regenerative leadership. s.l., TEDx Talks.

Storm, L., 2020. Laura Storm Website. [Online] 
Available at: https://laura-storm.com
[Accessed 14 10 2020].

The Daily Whisk, 2020. Post corona: the inevitable destiny of the economy. [Online] 
Available at: https://medium.com/@thedailywhisk28/post-corona-the-inevitable-destiny-of-the-economy-19947989c406
[Accessed 14 10 2020].

Wahl, D. C., 2019. Regenerative Leadership. [Online] 
Available at: https://medium.com/age-of-awareness/regenerative-leadership-96a52a4f1e10
[Accessed 14 10 2020].

 

Article by -Himali Abeywickrama 

(MBA Student of University of Bedfordshire UK)